Nesbitt the choice

Tuesday

In his first two years as town supervisor, Ron Nesbitt has had his share of challenges, and met many of them.

In his first two years as town supervisor, Ron Nesbitt has had his share of challenges, and met many of them.

From the high-profile defeat of a $15 million community center project to ongoing negotiations with the town police, who have been without a contract since 2004, Nesbitt has remained unflappable in his opinions and refreshingly apolitical in his dealings.

Residents know what to expect from Nesbitt, and that’s one reason he deserves another two years.

As the former owner of a mom-and-pop-style grocery store, Nesbitt has the air of someone who, while he may be strongly opinionated, is also no-nonsense and down-to-earth.

And he’s not just a blowhard. His insistence that the Webster school district and athletic groups, in partnership with the town, look at ways to cover more than $600,000 in losses incurred by the aquatic center and related athletic facilities since 2002 — and his refusal to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars of town money to their upkeep until the slide is corrected – is gutsy, but based on good business sense.

Nesbitt’s challenger, Dolly Kujawa, is a hardworking community mainstay who brings valued insight on many issues facing the town. But the truth of the matter is she really didn’t mean to run — she had been the party’s place-holder on Board of Election filing paperwork. When town Democrats couldn’t find a challenger for Nesbitt, and they were looking right up until deadline, she stepped into the role. That’s commendable and Kujawa is certainly right: Voters deserve a choice.

Nesbitt is the right choice, but there is room for improvement. Nesbitt set a personal goal of retiring by the age of 50, and succeeded.

Residents also deserve a big-picture plan for Webster.

For instance, it’s reasonable to expect a “Plan B” of sorts forthe Community Center, which, according to him and supporters, a new center was critical and renovations were financially infeasible. As of yet, no plan is out there, so what now?

Nesbitt was part of the Republican administration that introduced an open space preservation program that has helped limit what some critics have called runaway development in town. New home construction may have slowed, but developers will come calling again. What’s the plan for future development?

His focus tends to be on the here and now, when he could be more visionary.

Nesbitt is committed to informing residents, and that’s commendable. The “Town Times” newsletter, along with televised board meetings and budget workshops, are invaluable to those who want to know how town government works. Nesbitt also writes a regular column in which he always solicits feedback, giving his phone number and e-mail address to anyone who wants to contact him.

One of the reasons he wanted to retire at 50 was so that he could devote time to public service in the town where he grew up. Nesbitt genuinely wants the job of supervisor, and that’s the best reason of all to vote for him.

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